Analysts Set Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS) PT at $33.00

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-one analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $33.00.

APLS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $19.00 price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $40.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, December 15th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apellis Pharmaceuticals

In related news, insider Caroline Baumal sold 2,797 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.77, for a total transaction of $60,890.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 86,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,883,692.79. This trade represents a 3.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO James George Chopas sold 2,064 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.77, for a total transaction of $44,933.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 49,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,084,254.85. The trade was a 3.98% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 120,537 shares of company stock worth $2,608,532. Insiders own 6.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apellis Pharmaceuticals

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 23.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 225,976 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,677,000 after buying an additional 42,960 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 25.4% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 96,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,424,000 after purchasing an additional 19,500 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth $366,000. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC increased its position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC now owns 27,086 shares of the company’s stock worth $680,000 after purchasing an additional 4,013 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Twinbeech Capital LP raised its stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 47.3% during the fourth quarter. Twinbeech Capital LP now owns 13,152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $330,000 after purchasing an additional 4,225 shares in the last quarter. 96.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of APLS opened at $22.28 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $23.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $23.87. The company has a quick ratio of 3.10, a current ratio of 3.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. Apellis Pharmaceuticals has a 52 week low of $16.10 and a 52 week high of $30.48. The stock has a market cap of $2.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 71.87 and a beta of 0.26.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc, traded as NASDAQ:APLS, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies targeting the complement cascade for the treatment of rare and debilitating diseases. The company’s research and development efforts center on modulating complement proteins to address a range of ophthalmologic, hematologic and renal conditions. Apellis leverages its proprietary compstatin technology platform to design targeted inhibitors intended to improve patient outcomes and quality of life.

The company’s lead marketed product, Syfovre (pegcetacoplan), is an intravitreal complement C3 inhibitor approved for geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration, with ongoing investigations in other retinal disorders.